Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A story is told of an encounter between the Prophet Joseph
Smith and Brigham Young. In the presence of a rather large group of brethren,
the Prophet severely chastised Brother Brigham for some failing in his duty.
Everyone, I suppose somewhat stunned, waited to see what Brigham’s response
would be. After all, Brigham, who later became known as the Lion of the Lord,
was no shrinking violet by any means. Brigham slowly rose to his feet, and in
words that truly reflected his character and his humility, he simply bowed his
head and said, “Joseph, what do you want me to do?” The story goes that
sobbing, Joseph ran from the podium, threw his arms around Brigham, and said in
effect, “You passed, Brother Brigham, you passed” (see Truman G. Madsen, “Hugh
B. Brown—Youthful Veteran,” New Era, Apr. 1976, 16).